Monthly Forum Working Group Update (April) – Primary Care and Commissioning Working Group

Date: 24 June 2022

For those that don’t know me – I am Clare Symms, Head of Research Management, Finance and PPI at NHS Norfolk and Waveney CCG (soon to be NHS Norfolk and Waveney ICB), and I chair the NHS R&D Forum Primary Care and Commissioning Working Group.  I am lucky to chair a very active and knowledgeable group made up of a wide range of individuals who support research in Primary Care settings and within commissioning organisations, together with our key stakeholders, including the Health Research Authority (HRA), NHS England and Improvement and the CRN Co-ordinating Centre (CRN CC).  Members have varied roles and sit in a variety of organisations including CCGs, Trusts, CSUs (commissioning support units), academic units and CRNs.

The aim of the group is to provide support, share best practice and solutions, and to work with key stakeholders to influence the development of key policies and guidance and champion research in Primary Care and within commissioning organisations and we currently meet virtually every 2 months.

Our current priorities are:

• The transition to Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) and Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and discharge of statutory duties with respect to research.  We are keen to hear from individuals about models they are developing to champion and co-ordinate research across ICSs
• Developments in Primary Care – for example working at scale, and “place” based research – supporting research across groups of practices in line with changes in service delivery.  We have engaged with the CRN CC on implementation of their Primary Care Strategy and members link into several of the NIHR Primary Care Programme Board subgroups
• Digital Transformation and IT challenges in Primary Care research.  A huge amount of work has been done by 2 of our members to bring together some of the IT and data access challenges in relation to research in Primary Care and work is ongoing with our stakeholders on potential solutions.
• Workforce and building capacity and infrastructure in Primary Care research – this work also feeds into the work with the CRN on implementation of their Primary Care Strategy.

We are keen to hear from the wider forum on any work they are undertaking within their ICSs around research and are happy for members to raise any topics of interest that they feel the group might be able to help with.  We are also happy to take expressions of interest from anyone who would like to join the group, please write to us via the main R&D Forum email address.

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